George denny walker



(No Model.)

G. D. WALKER.

DEVICE FOR FASTENING, OPENING, AND HOLDING'DOORS FOR FIRE ENGINEHOUSES.

No. 340,743. I Patented Apr. 27,1886.

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IUi mESSEL IHVEHLUI;

awwo WEI/3% N PETERS, PhuXwLillwQPaprwr, Washingion. D.C.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE DENNY WALKER, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGJOR OF ONE-HALF TO MICHAEL J. KELLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

DEVICE FOR FASTENING, OPENING, AND HOLDING DOORS FOR FIRE-ENGINE HOUSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,743, dated April .27, 1856.

Appli ation filed January 30, 1886. Serial No. 190,274. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE DENNY l/VALK- ER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Fastening, Opening, and Holding Doors for Fire-Engine Houses and other Similar Places, of which the following is a specifi-' cation.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for operating stable-doors for enginehou'ses and the like where it is very desirable to have the doors quickly opened and securely held in their open position; and the objects of my improvements are, first, to provide a secure fastening for the doors when closed; sec

0nd, to provide means for opening all the doors instantly and simultaneously; third, to provide means for opening any door separately without releasing the other doors in the series; fourth, to provide an automatic fastening for holding the doors in their open position; and, fifth, to provide proper means of adjustment for the connections which actuate the releasing device for the closed doors. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whieh- Figure l is a front elevation of two closed doors with my invention attached; Fig. 2, a top view of the same in section, showing also by dotted lines the doors in their open position; Figs. 3 to 11, inclusive, detail views, on a larger scale,of the parts of the apparatus indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In Fig. 1 the two doors A A are secured to the wall B by the hinges a a a a. Here the free edge of each door is attached to the fasteningpin 0. (Shown on alarger scale in Fig. 6.) Said pins 0 C engage with the releasing-pieces DD. (Shown in detailin Figs. 7 and 8.) From these releasing devices D D the rods (Z d pass through the floor, which is indicated in section at E, and are attached to the bell-cranks F F. From these cranks a rod, G, passes to another similar bell-crank at H, which maybe moved by a rod, I, connected to a suitable lever-handle, as J, by which motion may be given through the cranks and rods to the releasing devices, which are hereinafter described in detail.

Nearer to the center of the doors than the fastening-pins O G are the holding-pins K K. 5 (Shown on a larger scale in Fig. 5.) These engage with the holding'pieces L L, to fasten and hold the doors in their open position when released. The holding-pieces L L are shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4.

Many of the parts of the releasing device D are similar to those of the holding device L.

The holding device will be first described. In Figs. 3 and 4, e is the case or body of the device, havinga cover, f. The bottom of the 6 case has a flange, g, for attaching itto the wall 13. Above this the case is cylindrical and contains a spiral spring, h. Above the spring is a flexible washer, z, of leather or other suitablematerial, and an iron washer, k. \Vithin 0 the spring is a wooden stop, Z. The cover f has the circular hole or, through which the holding-pin K, Fig. 5, can enter. Between the cover f and the case e'is a rectangular space in which are the slidcs n and o. Said slides are removed from Fig. 4, and are shown separately in Fig. 9. The two slides are pressed together by the spiral springs p p, which are steadied by the pins q g, which are fixed in theends of the cover f. When the So rounded head of the pin K strikes between the ends of the slides, itforces them apart, presses down the washers t it upon the spring h, and thus the pin K enters far enough to allow the slides to close around the neck of the pin under its head, the circle formed by the ends of the slide being smaller than the diameter of the head of the pin. The slideshave arms rs, which may be acted upon by a cam-lever, t.

By pressing down the handle of the lever the 0 arms are forced apart, thus opening the slides and releasing the pin. The lever t turns upon a small pin at a, as shown. \Vhen the pin K enters the case, it is prevented from going too far by means of the stop Z.

In the releasing device, Figs. 7 and 8, the construction is similar to that just described. The case is made without a bottom flange, so that it can be set in a hole in the wall B, as shown. It contains a spring, washers, stop, 1:0 and slides, as already described. The cam-lever has attached to its outer end a connectingpiece, 11, for the purpose of providing adj ustment for the rod (1, which transmits motion to it. The piecec is hollow, to leave a space for the end of the rod and a nut, as shown. A flange, w, through which the rod d passes, is secured to the bottom of 1;. By removing the flange w the nut can be screwed on the rod to adj ust it, and the arrangement also provides means for opening the slides by means of the cam-lever without affecting the rod d.

The bell-cranks F, Figs. 10 and 11, are provided with eyes 00, fitted with set-screws y, for the purpose of allowing the rod G to pass through said eyes and be gripped by the setscrews as in any desired position of the cranks, to provide for adjustment of the various parts connected.

The operation ofthe apparatus is as follows: Suppose the parts first to be in the position indicated by full lines in Fig. 2-that is,with the doors closed. The pins 0 C are in the pieces D D, held there by the slides n 0, and. pressing down upon the springs 71. If it is desired to instantly open the two doors, then the handleJ is moved, which, acting through rods I, G, and d d, and the intermediate cranks, draws down the cam-levers t t and releases the pins 0 G. Then the reaction of the springs it throws the doors open, the pins K K engage with the pieces L L, and the doors are held open. The lesser distance of K than C from the hinge gives a leverage which insures the compression of the springs in the holding-pieces L L when the doors are thrown open. It is obvious that any number of doors may be arranged in this manner to open siis desired-to close the doors the cam-levers of the holding devices L are depressed, and thus the pins K released, when the doors may be pushed shut, and will be held by the pieces D D, ready for a repetition of the operation described.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a door-operating device, the combination of the pinsC and K,the releasing and holding devicesD and L, and the rods, bell-cranks, and levers, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a door fastening and releasing device, the combination of the slides a 0, cam-lever 15, pin K, and spring h, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a door-operating device, the combina tion of the connecting-piece o, bell-cranks with eyes 00, and setscrews y, and the connectingrods therefor, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

GEORGE DENNY XVALKER. Witnesses:

CHAS. O. SPALDING, H. K. Hawns. 

